Subject Alpha
by CrayChic15
Summary: Stolen from her real family as a baby, Cerberus made her to be the greatest weapon for humanity. Rescued by Lt. Commander Hannah Shepard and Commander David Anderson, she becomes much more than that. An AU character build of my Avery Shepard. Takes place before the events of Mass Effect 1.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

2154

With Jack Harper, a.k.a. The Illusive Man, at the helm, Cerberus will stop at nothing to elevate humanity above the other species. That also includes taking children from their families.

Their latest acquisition, a blonde haired, blue eyed girl, only a few months old. The child was exposed to Eezo while in her mother's womb. Cerberus' latest experiments are about finding ways to enhance biotic potential to its absolute fullest, in hopes to exceed the natural abilities of the Asari. So far, there have been four fatalities, but those are considered acceptable losses for the greater good. Their preliminary tests showed the child had a relatively high Eezo concentration for a first-time exposure. They found it remarkable that she survived, given that it would have likely resulted in serious health complications for the mother. After erasing all records of her birth from Alliance databases, they decided to dub her "Subject Alpha", for she would be their first true success at creating a super biotic.

2160

At six years old, Alpha had already been subjected to countless sessions of genetic modification to accelerate her growth. Now, they were preparing her for a second Eezo exposure. The Cerberus scientists created a special chamber, in which they strapped Alpha to a table. After sealing the chamber, they flooded it with Eezo with an even higher concentration than what she had been previously exposed to. Alpha screamed with pain, but the chamber was soundproof, so no one heard her. They knew they were pushing the limits on this, but they were confident that she would survive. They were correct.

2164

A second facility was set up on Pragia. The new location was much larger and would be able to house a lot more test subjects. Alpha's results were providing the inspiration and the template.

2165

Biotic experiments at Pragia began.

2168

Alpha is now 14 years old and demonstrating great potential with her biotics. However, for The Illusive Man, the potential is not good enough. She was then subjected to surgeries for cybernetic implants, each containing small amounts of Eezo. This was done in lieu of attempting a third Eezo exposure. Further genetic modification was performed to improve muscle strength, bone density and accelerate healing. Two weeks later, Alpha was tested by being made to fight some of the strongest Asari they could find. She defeated all of them and her abilities exceeded the Illusive Man's expectations. Alpha began planning her escape. She just needed to bide her time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

2168

Almost two months later, an Alliance team, led by Lt. Commander Hannah Shepard and Commander David Anderson, raided the secret facility. The Alliance had received anonymous reports about the experiments Cerberus had conducted and were provided with the coordinates. They were sickened by what those reports revealed and were determined to rescue the facility's only survivor. In the meantime, Alpha was awakened by intruder alarms blaring and decided to use the chaos to finally escape. She blasted her way through numerous security guards, not knowing she was making her way to those who were there to rescue her. Hannah and David took out everyone who got in their way and those that chose to surrender were taken into custody. As they entered the next room, they were unprepared for the sight before them – a teenage girl, glowing bright with more biotic power than either had ever seen a human possess, with an almost feral look in her eyes, looking as though she was about to attack. Hannah was the first to recover from her shock and upon seeing the corpses on the floor, holstered her weapon and held her hands in a non-threatening manner.

"We're not here to hurt you", Hannah began. "I'm Lt. Commander Hannah Shepard and this man is Commander David Anderson. We're both with the Alliance Navy and are here to shut this place down and get you out of here".

David finally holstered his weapon as well. Alpha stood there, unsure of what to make of them, but let her biotics rest.

"What do you want with me?" Alpha asked.

David answered, "we want to take you to Arcturus station where you will be safe, but we won't force you to come with us. This place is an abomination and what they've done to you is beyond wrong. If you want to leave, we will take you far from here and if you choose to stay, Hannah and I will leave, no questions asked, and you'll never see or hear from us again."

Alpha looked at them warily and asked, "you're letting me choose?"

"Yes, we are", Hannah responded.

Alpha had never been allowed to make a choice before, and even though she wanted out of this place, she was scared. Despite her fear, she chose to leave with them. The shuttle flew them to their ship, SSV Einstein, where she was introduced to Dr. Karin Chakwas. Alpha's biotics flared at the mention of Karin being a doctor, but Hannah quickly stepped in and assured her that she was safe, and that Karin just wanted to make sure she was okay. She saw the truth in Hannah's eyes and let her biotics die down. Alpha then asked Hannah to stay. Hannah was surprised by the request and Karin gave her approval.

An hour later, Alpha was asleep in the Med Bay, exhausted from the day's events. Hannah, David and Karin were sitting in the conference room, discussing the results of Alpha's exam. To say they were stunned was an understatement.

"To think anyone being capable of doing such things to another human being, let alone a CHILD, is unfathomable!", Karin exclaimed. "There are signs of extensive genetic modification, as well as cybernetic implants, the likes of which I have never seen before. Based on these results, it is obvious that poor girl was put through a second Eezo exposure at a very young age, and to make matters worse, the implants have Eezo in them! Never in my career have I heard of such a thing! How she even survived is beyond remarkable. There also appears to be no impact on her health from the implants."

Startled by this revelation, Hannah asked "how was she genetically modified?", terrified to hear the answer.

"From what I can tell, she will be, if not already, stronger than the average adult male, her bones have been modified in a way that they won't break easily, and she can heal faster than normal. And, while I estimate her age to be 13 or 14, her physical growth was also accelerated."

Color drained from David's face. "My god, if the reports are accurate, she was kept there her entire life, since she was only months old!"

Hannah had tears in her eyes, her heart broken for what the girl was put through.

On Arcturus, Alpha was introduced to Admiral Steven Hackett. Dr. Chakwas then took her to the station's Med Clinic to run a few tests on her biotics. Hannah & David followed the Admiral to his office for a debriefing.

"I've read your reports and those in custody are currently being interrogated. Personally, I'm tempted to blow every last one of their brains out." After taking a deep breath, Hackett continued. "At least you wiped that god forsaken place off the map. Damn Cerberus. She doesn't exist in the database, so we have no idea who her family is or was. With her biotics, the Alliance will be the best place for her, but with everything that girl has been through, I'm hesitant to even suggest it to her. In the meantime, we need to figure out where to place her. There's not many families willing to take in a teenager, let alone a biotic. This could become problematic."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

In the Med Clinic, one of the doctors made the mistake of approaching Alpha with a needle, and she reacted by throwing him with her biotics. The Clinic's alarm sounded, and station security rushed in to try to restrain the crazed girl. When they tried to get near her, she pushed them back with a barrier that she then held in place. Hackett, David and Hannah ran in to see what was going on. Karin explained what happened and that Alpha was clearly scared. Despite David and Hackett's objections, Hannah approached Alpha so she could try to calm her. Alpha saw her, and Hannah saw the look of terror in her eyes.

"Alpha, listen to my voice sweetie. No one here is going to hurt you. I promise. Please let me help you." Hannah stood there, hoping Alpha would drop her barrier. She did, and Hannah released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

After dropping the barrier, Alpha fell to her knees, shaking. Hannah knelt down in front of her and carefully wrapped her arms around the terrified girl in a hug. Alpha immediately returned the embrace and a heavy sob broke free. Hackett gave the order for station security to stand down and return to their stations. He watched in awe as Hannah managed to calm Alpha down. Karin finished tending to the doctor that was thrown. He suffered from a concussion and a few broken ribs. Karin then pulled Hackett aside.

"Her biotics are beyond substantial, and she is capable of remarkable control without the aid of an implant and amp. I dare say she could give the strongest Vanguard we have in the Alliance a run for their money and not even break a sweat!"

Skeptically, Hackett looked at Karin. "How is that possible? I thought using biotics without an implant and amp was deadly."

"Under normal circumstances Admiral, I would agree. However, as you can see, there is nothing normal about her circumstances. I think it's rather obvious what Cerberus was trying to accomplish."

Now that Alpha had fully calmed down, Hannah walked over to Hackett and Karin.

"I want Alpha to stay with me."

Hackett's eyes widened at Hannah's statement. "Are you sure you want to take on that responsibility Shepard?"

Hannah looked at him and simply responded "yes".

"I think that would be a great idea. The Lt. Commander has managed to build a rapport with the girl, and she needs that stability" Karin stated.

After looking at both of their faces, Hackett knew there was no changing Hannah's mind. "I'll expedite the paperwork, and have you transferred here to Arcturus. By the way, you and Anderson will both be put forward for commendation and promotion. Congratulations."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

2169

Thanks to Admiral Hackett, Hannah was able to adopt Alpha, now known as Avery Shepard.

Hannah had sat down with Alpha, explained her desire to adopt her, and that it meant she would need a real name. For the first time, Alpha realized she never had a real name before, she was always just "Subject Alpha". She wasn't sure how to even choose a name for herself.

Hannah must have sensed it, because she spoke up "if it helps you any, my full name is Hannah Avery Shepard. It's not all that uncommon for a child to share a parent's name. We can also search the extranet for ideas, and I'm sure Karin might have a few suggestions too".

After some thought, Alpha decided she liked the name Avery. They also put her date of birth as April 11, 2154, based on the date of her rescue and her estimated age. Her new life began.

2170

Avery excelled in her studies and graduated high school early. After taking a break for a few months, she enrolled in online University, with a triple major in History, Xenobiology and Linguistics.

She had difficulty making friends because many considered her a freak. However, Jeff had proven to be different. The first time they met, she found Jeff being beaten by two guys who thought it would be fun to see just how brittle his bones were. Avery biotically pulled them off of Jeff and threw them into a wall hard enough to make bones break. By the time she got to Jeff, he had passed out from the pain. His right arm was bent at an odd angle and both legs were shattered. Using her biotics again, she carefully lifted and carried him to the Med Clinic, which was thankfully not far away. She explained to the doctors what happened, and she was told to wait outside while they tended to his injuries. Station Security found her there two hours later. The two troublemakers had told Security she attacked them unprovoked, but that was proven to be a lie. Unknown to her, there had been witnesses who had seen her come to Jeff's defense and had explained the whole ordeal. Avery and Jeff became fast friends.

Avery excelled in her studies and graduated high school early. After taking a break for a few months, she enrolled in online University, with a triple major in History, Xenobiology and Linguistics.

Hannah was on a mission off-station, so Avery had been staying with the Moreaus when she got a call from Captain Anderson. Hannah was in charge of the team responding to a distress call from Mindoir, only to discover that it was under attack from Batarians. They were too late to save anyone, but they killed the Batarians that remained. During the battle, Hannah was injured by a shot to the back. Thankfully, it didn't hit anything vital, but she had lost a lot of blood before they were able to get her stabilized and back to their ship. Jeff held Avery as she cried after getting the news. While she was relieved that Hannah survived, the fact that she almost didn't scared her. Hannah had been the first person to care for her and Avery wasn't ready to lose that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

2176

Lt. Avery Shepard was spending shore leave on Elysium. She didn't have much in the way of plans, but nonetheless, she was enjoying the time off.

She had already spoken to her mother and was now on a vidcall with Jeff. He was in the middle of bragging about how he was kicking everyone's ass in Flight School when alarms started going off. Avery looked out the window to see what was happening and saw Batarian ships entering the atmosphere.

"Jeff, I gotta go. We're about to be attacked by Batarians!"

"What the hell?! Avery?!". He was met by silence. Avery had already disconnected the call. Even though Jeff knew Avery could more than handle herself, it didn't stop him from worrying about her. She was his best friend. He immediately placed a call to her mother, Captain Hannah Shepard.

The battle raged on for hours. Avery rallied everyone she could, from colonists to fellow soldiers. Between her biotics and shotgun, the Batarian pirates didn't stand a chance. Eventually, ammunition ran out and the situation became desperate. No one knew if or when help would arrive. She found a family cornered with nowhere to go, trying to protect their children. Avery charged towards them and immediately put up a barrier over them just as they started being fired upon. The Batarians kept laying on the pressure, believing that she would weaken and drop the barrier. Despite their attempts, her barrier strengthened.

Finally, the Alliance arrived, and it was all over. The SSV Agincourt led the charge in orbit, destroying the pirate ships as they tried to escape, while on the ground, Hannah Shepard and David Anderson looked for Avery. When they found her, she was still holding the barrier, but immediately dropped it when she saw them and knew it was over. Hannah ran straight towards her, and as soon as she wrapped her in a hug, Avery collapsed from exhaustion. It had been over 48 hours since she had slept.

Avery became the Hero of the Blitz and was awarded the Star of Terra, as well as a promotion to Lt. Commander. Jeff couldn't have been prouder of his friend and hugged her as hard as his bones allowed. Hannah treated them both to a celebratory lunch, where they were eventually joined by Captain Anderson. Anderson found himself extremely proud of the girl he thought fondly of as a daughter. He was amazed to see how she'd grown into the soldier she was since he and Hannah found her 8 years ago.

The following day, Avery received orders that she was on shore leave for 3 months, after which, she was to report to N-School at Vila Militar in Rio de Janeiro.


End file.
